Nissan is claiming the GT-R has set another new best lap time of 7:26.70 on the Nurburgring's Nordschleife circuit. This apparently happened on April 23 and eclipsed the car's previous best of 7:27.56 set on April 15.
The company's press release doesn't give any details on the Nissan GT-R that recorded the lap time, but within the GT-R community, GT-R Blog says it was a base model GT-R with the Dunlop tires and that Nissan's chief test driver, Toshio Suzuki, was at the wheel.
None of this is easily verifiable, of course. Plus, the new lap time is still short of the Corvette ZR1's 7:26.40 -- also conveniently impossible to verify.
Inside Line News: Nissan GT-R Sets New Record Lap Time at Nurburgring, Manufacturer Says
jederino says:
09:06 AM, 05/14/09
Once I get the new Gran Turismo (and a Playstation 3), I may try to validate that claim myself!
kurtamaxxxguy says:
09:56 AM, 05/14/09
Looks like we don't have to wait until the leaves change to watch Nurburgring records fall :-)
Other than Mfr. bragging rights, I really don't get why 0.01 sec or whatever improvement on one excellent but one-of-a-kind race course means so much. Would the GT-R do the same on Willow Springs? The LutzRing? Your average (blocked off) freeway?
estreka says:
11:53 AM, 05/14/09
From what I recall, the 'Ring has a track timer, so these unofficial results are probably quite accurate.
jederino says:
12:49 PM, 05/14/09
The Ring, or Green Hell, is just an interesting measure of performance on a fiendishly difficult patch of roadway. It does have quite a few long straightaways, so while cars must be very athletic, they also need crazy horsepower to post good times.
For reasonable street cars, a shorter track would be a good relative measure for, say, Abarth 500's or GTI's or Mini's.
brn says:
01:16 PM, 05/14/09
These Nurburgring pissing contests are getting tired.
sparky34 says:
03:49 PM, 05/14/09
If these types of postings are tiring you, then why do you care about 0-60, 1/4 mile times, or top speed? why do you care about "handling at the limit"...if anything, these lap times are a testament to the overall engineering of the vehicle.
FYI, smaller tracks do not allow very powerful cars to take advantage of all their power. Little lotus's that top out at 145 and have no amenities are suited for tight race tracks, but on the german track, get lost on high speed straights....
i guess my point is that if we were concerned with practicality, we wouldnt buy cars with more than 300HP, just like the japanese...